Great conversation with Executive Director of Mata Festival Pauline Kim Harris and featured composer Jessie Cox . Music at the Anthology (MATA) celebrates its 27th Annual Festival with performances at the Issue Project Room in Brooklyn from June 11th to 14th 2025 Titled Intergalactic Infinity: Music Between Spaces, the festival promises to be an incredible few days of sounds, creativity and imagination, that will blow your mind. The episode serves as a way to dive in into the world of MATA, the ...
May 30, 2025•1 hr 8 min
A highly entertaining and informative conversation with 6 time GRAMMY-nominated violinist & composer Curtis Stewart. In the episode, Curtis talks about tearing down the facade of "classical violinist" and his constant pursuit of his musical authenticity, treating art as a battery for realizing citizenship. His creative process, his upbringings, upcoming projects, are all part of this 60 min talk with him, as he gets ready for Grammy week where he has 2 nominations! Thanks for listening and p...
Jan 28, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Violist and Comedian Isabel joins Ian and Sami in a dynamic and fun conversation in which she dives into her life, going into details about the shift in her career, the viola, her standup comedy routines, her appearances in the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, her upcoming projects, goals and a lot more. Also, for the first time, we will be posting our full episode on YouTube (highly recommended) Please subscribe to our channel for notification on when that will be published! Thanks for listening...
Dec 03, 2024•59 min•Season 4Ep. 2
In this episode, Sami Merdinian and Ian Loew have a great conversation with music educator in Florida Anthony Williams who is known to be the Michael Jordan of Music Education down in Florida. As retirement approaches, he shares his passion and life mission of making the world a better place through music and the importance for accessibility no matter the background. An uplifting episode that makes us wonder the importance of mentors in our lives and how essential music is for everyone's early e...
Oct 04, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Season 4Ep. 1
In this episode, Sami Merdinian and Ian Loew have a great conversation with violist/composer/educator Jessica Meyer who has established herself to be an incredible force in the industry thanks for her passion, perseverance, entrepreneurial skills and extraordinary talent. She talks about all of her projects, her path to becoming a very influential figure, her grind, the importance of improvisation, her method of composition, finding quality time to decompress in nature and with friends and famil...
May 18, 2023•1 hr 22 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Happy New Year listeners!!! In this episode, we learn the unique story of one of the best trumpeters of his generation. The youngest player to ever play with the legendary Canadian Brass, Brandon Ridenour engages in a very entertaining and informative conversation; his first piano lesson with his father at age 5, to his parents crushing his dreams to play drums, Brandon shares his path to the versatile artist he's become. His amazing career as a trumpeter, composer, arranger, his fascination wit...
Jan 09, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Season 3Ep. 3
“A VIOLINIST OF HEART-MELTING TALENT.” – The Wall Street Journal “DAZZLING SKILLS AND A MONA LISA SMILE.” – The Washington Post A very special episode with violinist, singer, actress Lucia Micarelli! Born in Queens, New York, Lucia has been immersed in the arts since the age of three. After attending the Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music, Lucia began to develop a growing interest in non-classical music. She started moonlighting with local jazz and rock bands in New York clubs, and s...
Sep 25, 2022•1 hr 28 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Great conversation with composer extraordinaire, Emmy Award-winning and Grammy® nominated Adam Schoenberg who has been named among the top 10 most performed living composers by orchestras in the United States twice. His works have received performances and premieres at the Library of Congress, Kennedy Center, New York Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and Hollywood Bowl. In this episode we talk about his musical family and his direct relation to George Gershwin. H...
Jul 26, 2022•51 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Last episode of Season 2 of Down the Pit, and final part of our conversation with Film & TV Composer Jeff Cardoni. Jeff’s talents range from intimate independent fare to full orchestral majesty. With over 45 feature film scores and several network series to his credit, one can hear his work worldwide every day. His unique ability to cross genres has made him a power-ful player in the film composing industry. In this episode Jeff compares writing for TV vs Film, staying true to himself and us...
Dec 30, 2021•37 min•Season 2Ep. 16
Part 1 of our conversation with 2019 ASCAP Composer of the Year Jeff Cardoni . Jeff’s talents range from intimate independent fare to full orchestral majesty. With over 45 feature film scores and several network series to his credit, one can hear his work worldwide every day. His unique ability to cross genres has made him a power- ful player in the film composing industry. CSI: Miami, MTV's Pimp my Ride , Golden Globe winning Netflix series The Kominsky Method , as well as the final season of H...
Dec 22, 2021•31 min•Season 2Ep. 15
Continuation of our fun conversation with Latin Grammy Award winning bassist and composer Pedro Giraudo. He shares with us his style of composition, where he finds inspiration, what he does for fun his fear of aging and how he has changed his lifestyle to adjust to it. You will also listen to his composition "Con Creces" from his 2021 album Impulso Tanguero, featuring bandoneonist Rodolfo Zanetti, pianist Ahmed Alom and violinist Nick Danielson. Please Subscribe, Rate and Review the Podcast. A l...
Nov 29, 2021•31 min•Season 2Ep. 14
Part 1 of our conversation with Latin Grammy Award winning bassist and composer Pedro Giraudo. In this episode he talks about growing uip in a musical family in Cordoba, Argentina, how he got into music, his musical journey that brought him to New York City, his experiences and differences between leading his big band in New York and being a guest in Japan and Germany, a close look at his style of composition that led him to win a Latin Grammy Award for Best Tango Album, his love for Japan, and ...
Nov 21, 2021•35 min•Season 2Ep. 13
Part 2 of our conversation with pianists and entrepreneurs Audrey Vardanega and Christos Vayenas. We talk more about the next steps of Arium TV, support for the Arts, fair compensation for musicians, their source of inspiration, their hopes, their fears, and a lot more! Please Subscribe, Rate and Review the Podcast. A lot of work goes into bringing Down the Pit to you, and we would to know your thoughts on how we are doing! To become a Down the Pit supporter for as little as $0.99/month, please ...
Oct 25, 2021•39 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Part 1 of our conversation with pianists and entrepreneurs Audrey Vardanega and Christos Vayenas. We will learn about their careers, how they got into music, their upbringings in the Bay Area and the Northeast, how they transitioned during the pandemic, their passion to help musicians and their careers, as well as some of the awesome and unique ventures they are involved in like Group Muse, Musaics of the Bay, and their brand new Arium TV! Please Subscribe, Rate and Review the Podcast. A lot of ...
Sep 27, 2021•47 min•Season 2Ep. 11
Part 2 and final episode of our conversation with the world-acclaimed British pianist Philip Edward Fisher. He will tell us about his recording experiences with Naxos, Chandos, going through the pandemic and our way to recovery, the Covid-19 Variations, what gives him hope, his sources of inspiration, the future of classical music, and so much more Please Subscribe, Rate and Review the Podcast. A lot of work goes into bringing Down the Pit to you, and we would to know your thoughts on how we are...
Sep 09, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Part 1 of our conversation with the world-acclaimed British pianist Philip Edward Fisher. We will learn about his young years in Birmingham and how music took him to London, his love for soccer and snooker, his mentors, moving to NYC, the secret ingredient for the best Fish and Chips, playing by memory vs with music, the mind of the performer, how 9/11 directly affected one of his most special and powerful experiences on stage, and so much more during our educative and entertaining conversation....
Aug 26, 2021•34 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Here it is, the second part of our conversation with the incredible soprano and citizen artist Camille Zamora. In this episode Camille talks about her involvement with a Grammy-winning production, her response to 9/11 while living in NYC and how it lead to co-founding Sing for Hope , her fears, her hopes, her inspirations, (and maybe some dating advice for musicians?). A super fun and fascinating interview you do not want to miss! Please Subscribe, Rate and Review the Podcast. A lot of work goes...
Aug 16, 2021•29 min•Season 2Ep. 8
We are very excited to share the 1st part of our conversation with the incredible soprano and citizen artist Camille Zamora. In this episode Camille will share some details about her childhood and her travels between Houston and Mexico, her relationship with classical music and other genres of music, Aspen Music Festival, remembering Ed Berkeley, the beauty and importance of simplicity, maintaining a healthy voice, soul and body, the behind the scenes of opera castings, equal representation in t...
Aug 08, 2021•43 min•Season 2Ep. 7
In the 2nd and final part of our interview with Mary Javian, we talk about some of the landmarks in her career, some amazing organizations she is involved with like Project440 (https://project440.org) and Voces8 (https://voces8.com), founding and curating LiveConnections (https://worldcafelive.com), performing and coming back to some kind of normality post-pandemic, some incredible words of advice on how to prepare ourselves for the future and how to help communities heal through music. Please S...
Jul 29, 2021•48 min•Season 2Ep. 6
We are beyond excited to share the first part of our conversation with the incredible Mary Javian. In the episode we talk about her life in Philadelphia, using music to make a positive impact in society, performing at the most prestigious stages as a bass player as well as bringing music to hospitals, prisons and the homeless, wearing many hats as a teaching artist and as a mom, her Philly cheesesteak recommendation and a very unique useless talent :) Mary Javian’s goal as a performer, educator,...
Jul 18, 2021•40 min•Season 2Ep. 5
In part 2 of our conversation, we continue our conversation with violinist/singer-songwriter Charles Yang in which he talks about how he got into singing, the violin he plays on, crazy and boozy stories while on tour, #AsianHateCrime, the importance of friendship, his sources of inspiration, the future generation of artists, the future of "classical" music, and more. Please Subscribe, Rate, and Review us! We love to interact and get comments from our listeners. To become a Down the Pit supporter...
Jul 09, 2021•38 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Recipient of the 2018 Leonard Bernstein Award, Juilliard graduate Charles Yang was born and raised in Austin, Texas. He has performed as a soloist with orchestras and in concert in the United States, Europe, Brazil, Russia, China, and Taiwan, and is the recipient of numerous awards and honors. On June 9th of 2005, the Mayor of Austin presented Mr. Yang with his own "Charles Yang Day". In 2016 Mr. Yang joined the crossover string-band, Time for Three . We are so thrilled to share this first part ...
Jul 01, 2021•42 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Welcome to Season 2! Born and raised in Chicago, Anthony McGill has carved an incredible career and is one of the most influential figures in classical music. He is equally recognized as an orchestra musician, a chamber musician, soloist, and teacher. Principal clarinetist of the New York Philharmonic after a decade with the Metropolitan Opera, he’s the first African-American principal player in the orchestra's history. By listening to Anthony throughout our conversation, you will get a sense of...
Jun 25, 2021•43 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Welcome to Season 2! Born and raised in Chicago, Anthony McGill has carved an incredible career and is one of the most influential figures in classical music. He is equally recognized as an orchestra musician, a chamber musician, soloist, and teacher. Principal clarinetist of the New York Philharmonic after a decade with the Metropolitan Opera, he’s the first African-American principal player in the orchestra's history. By listening to Anthony throughout our conversation, you will get a sense of...
Jun 17, 2021•34 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Professional musicians Sami Merdinian and Ian Loew are the co-hosts of Down the Pit, a podcast series that delves into the world of classical music, bringing in leading conductors, composers, and performers to the show, to demystify, promote increased accessibility for the genre, and analyze its future. Each episode will have an incredible guest, and through casual and fun conversations, we will dive into their fascinating lives. Season 2 starts on 6/16/2021 Please subscribe, rate and leave us a...
Jun 13, 2021•54 sec
In this episode we talk with Australian classical guitarist Scott Borg . Every artist has a story, and Scott's is a very interesting and unique one. In our conversation we talk about his upbringings in rural Australia, performing for cows, kangaroos vs camels, the shock of moving to NYC, ethics and being a good person, his exciting projects coming up, his revolutionary arrangements, sports and we learn a lot about the guitar world! Please subscribe, rate and leave us a review. To become a Down t...
Mar 05, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 16
In today's episode, we talk with Carlos Tome , Director, Co-owner and Head of Sales at Tarisio . Carlos oversees all private sales of Tarisio’s New York and London offices and has played a major role in the critical success of recent auction sales, many of which set world records. Some of the many topics we discuss includes growing up in his native Madrid, the difference of music education between Spain and the US, the cultural shock of moving to NYC, taking advantage of opportunities, the human...
Feb 16, 2021•1 hr 26 min•Season 1Ep. 15
In today's episode, we talk with Daniela Candillari , Serbian-Slovenian Conductor and Composer whose charisma, work ethic, passion for music and musical intuition has brought her great recognition and catapulted her career, leading some fantastic opera productions around the world. — The Chicago Tribune writes: “Some of the most wondrous music-making emerged from the orchestra, conductor Daniela Candillari bringing forth poetically turned phrases and shimmering instrumental color.” In our conver...
Jan 30, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 14
In today's episode, we talk with Thomas Masse , former Deputy Dean and Associate Provost for the Arts at Yale University and current professor at Stetson University. We discuss his journey, the many career paths in music, stories about his years at Yale, how to deal with negativity, the importance of mentorship, the future of classical music and much more. Please Follow us, Rate us, and leave your Comments! To become a Down the Pit supporter, please visit www.Anchor.FM/Down-the-Pit . Twitter &am...
Jan 11, 2021•1 hr 26 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Growing up in a non-musical family and a community that revolves around its professional football team, violinist Wayne Lin shares his experiences that led him to the Juilliard School and to currently being the acting Concertmaster of the Seoul Philharmonic in South Korea. Orchestra life, audition process, parenthood, a life of adjustments, and of course, some fun experiences, cheese curds and football in this "fiery" episode. Please Follow us, Rate us, and leave your Comments! To become a Down ...
Dec 26, 2020•58 min•Season 1Ep. 12
